When Everything Changed
by Chrissygirl139
Summary: Sakura's brother Kai was her best friend. He took care of her when her mom was off getting drunk at the local bar. Sakura's whole world changes once Kai leave once he gets a record deal. He's off playing guitar for his fans, while Sakura is stuck with her abusive mother.


I remember it all so clearly, it was in the middle of April. It was when everything changed. I believe it was the seventeenth, maybe the eighteenth. But the date doesn't really matter. So let me continue my story. So where was I? Oh right.. So...

I was only about the age of six at the time. I was still so unaware. Naive.

I didn't understand much that was going on in my house at the time. It didn't ever worry me that much when I would wake up from the dead of sleep hearing my mom fighting with my brother. There yelling would then escalate to the noise of things shattering to the ground. Yes, it would scare me, but I thought they were just having a small disagreement. I thought maybe my brother did something wrong to make my mom so angry. Not the other way around.

I didn't know that it would happen almost every single night. I didn't know what they were fighting about. I didn't know that my brother would wait sometimes until midnight or later for my mom to come home. I didn't know where my mom came home from every night so late.

I didn't understand just how much my brother had to deal with. How much he protected me from the knowledge of what was going on. He didn't want me to know. And whenever I asked the following morning when he woke me up when I finally fell back to sleep, in tears, so frightened and scared after hearing a handful of screams, and things shattering, being to afraid to get up. No it wouldn't be my fear that kept me inside my room when I heard the ruckus, but the fact that I knew better; I knew to stay in my bed when I heard yelling. Or else I would get hurt. But he would sadly smile at me and tell me not to worry and ruffle my hair. Then he would change the subject.

_"Oh blossom, don't worry. But it's time to get up." _

_"Oh, she just was having a bad night, don't worry Sakura. Now get out of bed, and get ready for school."_

_"There's nothing to worry about, I have it under control. What do you want to do today?" _

I wouldn't ask him any farther questions after that. Even though every part of me wanted to ask a hundred more questions. I just wanted to understand.

One time I wasn't as smart though, it was actually the night of my sixth birthday. The same year that everything changed.

I spent my birthday with just my brother. My mom was M.I.A, but I didn't really mind. We weren't that close anyways. She wasn't home very often. And when she was she didn't talk much to me. Often times when I tried talking to her, she would tell me to leave her alone, and she was too busy to listen to me talk about things that weren't important. I preferred spending time with just my brother anyways. He was so cheerful, and he always had jokes to tell. And he would let me go on and on about what happened at school, and he would nod his head while he smiles brightly, urging me to continue on.

I remember that day, that we both got our favorite strawberry vanilla smoothies and sucked them down like there wasn't going to be a tomorrow. Once we finished we went to the park, and he pushed me on the swings. I went higher and higher. And I was laughing, I felt like I was on top of the world. And it was honestly one of my favorite childhood memories. Once I got tired he brought me home it was mostly likely around ten; since it was pitch dark outside when we got home. The stars were shinning extra bright that night as they led us home to our apartment. My mom's car was in the driveway, and she was getting out of her car. She wobbly walked towards the stairs of our house.

My brother told me to hurry inside and he would deal with my mom. But instead I stayed in the living room, and watched it all go down. I remember my brother asked my mom, when she would grow up. That made her even more furious. That was when my mom saw me and something flickered in her eyes. And a nasty smile grew on her face. I was terrified. But my brother was even more terrified, he told me to run. But I couldn't. That was the first day my mom hurt me. I was bewildered. I sunk down into the wall that my mom slammed me into. And she walked over to me, but my brother blocked me, and instead he got punched. He wouldn't hit my mom back though. She continued to use him as a punching bag, and he turned around to me and told me to go. And I ran into my room as quickly as I could.

He was always the welcoming smile and hug when I got home from school, when my mom would just sit there and watch something on TV. He would always ask me about my day, and listen. It was only a few weeks postiminary of my birthday that year.

The day started out normally, I woke up to my brother softly calling my name while shaking me softly until I would wake up, just like he did every other morning when I had school. He would say something along the lines of, "Hey Blossom, it's time to get ready for school. I'm driving you to school this morning again. Mom is still sleeping." every morning before that day, to wake me up.

Slowly I would get up and groan saying, "I'm up, I'm up" shaking my head, throwing a small pout towards him, as I stretched my arms, and he would continue to stand there waiting for me to put my two feet on the carpeted ground chuckling at my childish behavior.

Once I was finally out of my bed, and making my way towards my dresser to decide what I was going to wear that morning. His phone suddenly began to ring and I turned around to look at him, he pulled his phone out of his front pocket and looked at it for a second, to look at who was calling I presume, his eyes brightened and he immediately flipped open his phone and said "Hey, I'm glad you got back to me!" I didn't pay much attention to him after that once he preceded to walk out of my room. I didn't have much interest or care of who he was on the phone with.

I just simply went back to trying to find something to wear for school that morning. I remembered I wanted to look extra cute. I had the biggest crush on this boy from school at the time, he was all I would ever think about. I would secretly admire him as I colored a picture, or practiced how to spell my name, or when I was listening to the teacher, I would secretly watch him from the corner of my eye. I sat next to him, his name is Sasuke. He's still in my class to this day. And yes I still have a small crush on him, but he's my friend now. And he doesn't think of me in that way. At least I think.. Who would like me anyways? But anyhow that doesn't matter.

I didn't find it that weird that my mom was still asleep, since my mom wasn't home when I went to bed at eight thirty that night just like every other night, which was my bed time at the time. I didn't really know where she was, but being young and careless, I didn't really care. I was glad she wasn't awake. She wasn't yelling.

Once I put on my outfit, which consisted of my favorite folly colored dress, that made me feel like a princess, I made my way into the kitchen and began preparing myself some toast.

My brother who seemed to be all over the place that morning, was walking around aimlessly as he talked on the phone. His eyes were gleaming with excitement.

At the time I thought he was just talking to one of his friends from school I wasn't too concerned though, I was too busy getting ready to notice that he seemed weird.

When the bus dropped me off at my house, just like every other day I got back from school, both my mom and brother's car was in the driveway.

But weirdly I had a bad feeling when I made my way off the bus.

"Sakura, get out the way." My mom pushed me when I entered the house, and began to continue on trying take my brother's suitcase away from his strong grasp, to throw my brother's suitcase away from him.

"Where are you going Kai!"

"Don't walk out of this door, mister!"

My brother was carrying his guitar in one hand and his suitcase in the other.

"Get back in here, right now! You hear me?" My mother screamed and followed him to his car.

He turned around and looked at me sadly. I was standing at the front door. I was confused and scared.

'Was he leaving me?' I thought to myself. I was so young, and foolish. I didn't understand that he wasn't leaving me. But he was leaving my mother. He was done dealing with her problems. He wasn't going to let her hold him back anymore.

"Look, Mebuki." He says, as he slowly shuts the back seat of his car, after putting his stuff into the car.

"Kai, stop being stupid." My mother says, and raises her hand to slap him. This time instead of letting her slap him, he grabbed her hand before it reached his face, and twisted her arm. My mom screeches. And my eyes widened.

"I'm done, I'm done watching you let you life go down the drain. I'm going to follow my dreams from now on." He says, and then walks back to me. My mom stands there, in shock. He makes his way up the stairs, and smiles at me, and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Are you actually not going to come back, Kai?" I say sadly looking down at my feet.

"Blossom look at me." He continues once my eyes meet his. "I'll be back, okay? You stay strong, and you call me if mom hurts you." He says softly, and hugs me. He's smiling soft, and I'm sniffling into his shoulder. On the verge of tears. I nod my head slowly.

"Where are you going.." I ask.

"The other day, remember when you watched me play guitar, at the coffee shop we go to?" He ask, and I nod my head, not actually understanding.

"Well someone saw me play the guitar, and they want to be my manager. So I'm going a few towns away to get a record deal, and I'll be staying there making music." He say, his eyes are shinning with happiness.

"Oh.." I manage to say. I was happy for him. But he was leaving me.

"I'll be back. I promise." He says. He's about to walk away.

"Wait. Don't go Kai. Bring me with you!" I shout.

"You aren't going Sakura! You're staying with me. You don't need your brother. He's scum. He's abandoning us." My mom shouts back.

My brother then go on his knees to be leveled with me.

"Sweetie, I can't do that. I wish I can. I'll be back I promise."

"Pinky promise?" I ask slowly.

"Pinky promise." We intertwine fingers. And he smiles softly at me.

"I'll be back." Were his last words after he gave me one last hug and went on his way.


End file.
